Get chitting ready for planting your seed potatoes

If you have a small or urban garden potatoes are the perfect veg to grow in a Haxnicks Patio Planter - we even have a special Patio Potato Planter!

Seed potatoes are on sale from December and throughout the spring. Each Patio Planter is suitable for planting 3 seed tubers or 4 tubers if very small 'baby potatoes' are required. By planting each potato planter at 4 week intervals you will be able to harvest over a longer period.

First you need to 'chit' your seed potatoes by placing them in a cool but frost-free place in egg boxes or shallow trays in full light, so that they can form sturdy shoots (chits) about 2.5cm (1 inch) long. This takes approximately 5 weeks.

When they are ready to plant, you will need approximately 40 litres of good general purpose compost for each planter.

Pour approximately 10cm (4 inches) into the bottom of the planter. Plant your seed potatoes, with the shoots or eyes facing upwards, and cover with 5cm (2 inches) of compost. Keep the compost slightly damp, but do not over-water.

When the shoots have grown 7cm (3 inches) high, add another layer of compost to leave the tips of the shoots just showing, keeping the compost damp each time. Repeat this process until the compost and shoots are 3 cm (1 inch) from the top.

When the Potato Planter is full and the leaves of the plants are showing, feed weekly with a high potash/ low nitrogen soluble plant food. If there is danger of frost, cover with fleece and remove when the frost has passed.

When the plant produces small white or pink flowers your potatoes are ready to harvest. Simply dig down into the planter to see if your potatoes are ready, and look out for the planter bulging, another sign of good potato growth. Remove a few potatoes at a time, or tip the planter out to reveal a bumper harvest.

If you want larger tubers then continue feeding and watering for another few weeks. When the potatoes are ready to harvest, you can always store them in a Haxnicks Jute Vegetable Sack!

Smart Solar celebrates its 10th Anniversary

Smart Solar, who also acquired the exclusive distribution rights for Haxnicks ‘love to grow' products in 2012, is celebrating its 10^th anniversary in 2013. Smart Solar manufactures and distributes solar powered lighting and water features to garden centres, retailers and mail order companies across the UK, Europe and the USA.

Founded and still led by Jonathan Stobart, Smart Solar has established a reputation for innovative products with technical excellence. Jonathan says, ”Our expertise in solar technology combined with product development has brought us huge success over the last decade."

Smart Solar employs 20 people in the UK at their Oxfordshire base, including a large product design department. Jonathan concludes, “To have grown to the size that we are is testament to the whole team, some of whom have been with me since the very beginning. We have a number of celebrations planned for 2013, after all, 10 years is quite an achievement!”

John Negus reports from Fernhurst Horticultural Society

Gardening guru John Negus has been out and about giving lectures and talks to gardening clubs, W.I.s and many other societies.



After chatting to the Fernhurst Horticultural Society in Surrey on planting to a make a garden beautiful in winter, he conducted a quiz in which the winner left with a pack of Haxnicks’ Micromesh Pest and Wind Barrier.



Ideal for shielding tender crops from the elements, and safeguarding them from winged invaders, it’s a great ally.John added,"Well done Haxnicks for stocking what gardeners of all persuasions need."

John Negus (right) with ladies from Fernhurst Horticultural Society, Surrey

Don’t wait for the first frost

To protect plants and trees from frost damage, they need to be covered. So when the weather forecast is for overnight frost, it is advisable to be prepared. Haxnicks’ Easy Fleece Jackets are ideal for potted patio plants as you can easily pull them over the plants and draw the bottom together using the integral drawstring which closes off the air flow giving the plant its own microclimate. With a choice of 3 sizes the Easy Fleece Jackets are ideal for both large and small plants as well as for hanging baskets.

Made from high quality 35gsm polypropylene fleece material, the jackets will protect your plants but also allow light and moisture to filter through to provide a healthy growing environment and the soft material does not cause harm to buds or leaves.

Once the threat of frost is past, simply remove the Fleece Jackets, fold them and store them until the next time you hear the words “.....and tonight there will be an overnight frost”!

Haxnicks presents trophy at Garden Retail Awards

Haxnicks sponsored the Retail Outlet Under £3m Turnover Award at the Garden Retail Awards 2012 which was won by Sidmouth Garden Centre, who received their trophy from Smart Solar’s sales director Paul Knott. The Garden Retail Awards were held on Wednesday 7th November at London's Grosvenor House in Park Lane.

Last year was very strong for Sidmouth Garden Centre, but with the weather making things harder in 2012, this year the focus has been on service and margins through reducing expenditure without affecting service.

Smart Solar, which has recently acquired the distribution rights for Haxnicks ‘Love to grow’ product range was keen to support the Garden Retail Awards to demonstrate its commitment to the garden centre industry. 

Paul commented, “It was an honour to present the Haxnicks Retail Outlet Under £3m Turnover Award to Sidmouth Garden Centre in front of 350 industry guests. Haxnicks and Smart Solar both enjoy leading roles in this industry and it was great to share the evening with so many colleagues and friends.” 

Spring clean in November!

By Jo Sensecall

November is “spring clean” time the garden! With nothing to plant, you should clear any remains of crops for composting and fork over bare ground. Store away hoses, pots and canes and have a general tidy up.

Cover any pots that you have which are not frost proof with jute material, or fleece, this will stop them from cracking.  Lifting them off the ground with blocks of wood or special ceramic feet is also good idea.

Use our Easy Fleece Jackets to cover any fragile container plants and to protect them from early or late frosts. These Easy Fleece Jackets are ideal for overwintering plants in containers or hanging baskets and have an integral drawstring for easy and practical use.

4 easy ways to grow more during a wet summer

Post by Robbie Cumming

Here in the UK we love our unpredictable weather.
We love barbecueing indoors, picnicking on ground sheets and going to the office in our wellies.


But our plants haven't loved the lower than normal temperatures and lack of sunlight, so we aren't able to enjoy the produce of our vegetable gardens as much as our dear friend Mr Slug (another matter entirely).


But the question is - can we do anything about it?

The good news is - YES!

And being experts in plant protection (even if we say so ourselves) we have a pretty good idea of exactly which products will help you make the most of a poor summer.

Here are just 4 ways that you can make a world of difference in your garden NOW:

Bell Cloches
The main picture (above) shows my little garden - nothing is growing especially well, apart from the weeds, a self seeded Ash tree, and the herbs growing under my Victorian Bell Cloche.  The vents are opened during rainy days and closed at night.  The only downside to this method is that you must remember to lift the cloche right off your plants on hot sunny days.  Otherwise they'll cook before you've even decided what recipe to use them in!

Tunnel Cloches
These do three wonderful things to your veg plot:
1) Protect your plants from weather
2) Protect your plants from pests
3) Increase and maintain higher air temperature

We sell Easy Tunnels - they're quick, easy and fairly inexpensive with lots of deals on at the moment in most garden centres.  But you can also make your own - go for it!  Make sure you use Haxnicks plant protection fabrics, bamboo hoops and ground pegs if you want something that will last you more than just one season.

If you've spent all your money on seeds and slug pellets though, there are other options.  You can use an old sheet of polythene draped over a few pieces of blue tubing secured with tent pegs which is fine if you don't care too much for how it looks.

Please note, it is really important to think about ventilation on sunny days.  Humidity can become a problem, leading to mildew and various diseases.  Scorching (if we get enough sun) is a problem too, and if you don't allow pollinating insects at your flowers, of course you won't get any fruit.

If you use a tunnel cloche you will ensure that your normal growing season is extended - that means you'll be able to harvest earlier and later in the year than anyone else.

Micromesh Fabric
Using mesh in the garden in summer is pretty standard nowadays - and essential if you want to keep the bugs off your edible crops.
But it also makes the perfect shelter - from sun, wind and rain - letting in the right amounts of light, air and moisture.
You can either buy Enviromesh or Micromesh depending on how fine a gauge you need.  Buy Micromesh if you want to guarantee protection from whitefly and other aphids.

Micromesh Products include Micromesh Pre Pack Fabric, Micromesh Pest and Wind Barrier, Micromesh Giant Easy Tunnel, Micromesh Raised Bed cover and Grower System (see below) Pest Protection Cover.



Greenhouse
If you are lucky enough to own one of these, you will probable be using it more often than usual due to the cooler weather.
Keep as many tender, non-indigenous fruit and vegetables (eg Tomatoes, Peppers and Beans) under glass. These plants need as much warmth and sunlight as they can get.
If you are planning to grow climbing veg in your greenhouse because of the weather, then you might want to think about using a patio planter which you can move outside on sunny days.
You might want to use a special planter dolly to help you though.  Planters can get pretty heavy with all the soil, canes and fruit (fingers crossed!)

If you don't have the space or simply can't afford a greenhouse, there are loads of lower cost options, including:

• Conservatories, Porches or Windowsills
• Cold Frames
• Planthouses
• Growhouses or our Grower System

If you have any questions about any of the methods or products featured in this blog post then please let us know using the comments section below.  You can also call us, email and write to us - or why not see if your nearest Haxnicks stockist can help?

We'll cover slugs in the next blog - there are many ways to defeat them, stay tuned to the Haxblog for more top tips...